Warley Place - An Essex Wildlife Trust Reserve.

Warley Place, a nature reserve maintained by Essex Wildlife Trust.

Warley Place, once a very famous Edwardian garden belonging to Ellen
Willmott, is now maintained as a nature reserve by Essex Wildlife
Trust.

Although the house itself has long since gone, a walk round the paths
reveals tantalising glimpses of what the estate once comprised.
There are exotic trees, remains of cold frames, greenhouses,
reservoirs, a terrace and the conservatory that was part of the
original building. Although there is colour all year round, by far
the best time to visit is in the spring, when snowdrops, crocuses,
daffodils, bluebells follow and overlap and vie with each other in
splendour.

Birds at Warley Place

Photo Credit Norman Bonham

At least 65 species of birds have been seen on the reserve since 1977,
mostly woodland species but also a few water birds attracted to the
ponds. Nuthatches can be heard and sometimes seen by the car park
and the North pond. Coal Tits and Long-tailed Tits are regular sights,
as well as the more common Blue and Great Tits, and Great Spotted
and Green Woodpeckers. The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is seen
occasionally, as is the Sparrowhawk. Rarer visitors include
Spotted Flycatchers, Woodcocks and Siskins.
The two bird hides, at the North and South ponds,
are great places to sit in peace and watch for these and other
flying visitors.

Visiting Warley Place

There is no charge for entry, but please remember that even with
volunteers giving their time free the maintenance of such a site is
still a costly business and your contributions will be welcome and
useful. It is a nature reserve not a public garden so some of the
facilities you might otherwise expect, such as a gift shop, toilets
or tea room, are not available. Dogs, other than guide dogs, are not
allowed.
Details of the open weekends.

Volunteering at Warley Place

Every Monday morning a group of volunteers turn up, rain or shine, to carry out the
work necessary to prevent the estate returning to the wilderness it became after
Ellen Willmott’s death. The paths have to be kept clear; nettles, bracken, Japanese
knot-weed, Himalayan balsam and giant hogweed have to be kept in check; sycamores
have to be pulled up or cut down and sawn into logs; leaf-mould is prepared and
bagged for sale, and the repair of brickwork is an ongoing project.

Once a month a specialist research group visits the reserve finding, identifying
and caring for some of the more unusual species.